I love Instagram. I love my iPhone. I love camera apps. And I love sharing these things with you all. My Instagram feed has evolved drastically since I posted my first photo. Back at the beginning of Instagram time my feed was all filters, frames, etc. And I had an iPhone 4 and the photo quality wasn't that great.
Practice Different Shots
The more you practice, the easier it will be to take natural photos. The more photos you take, the easier it will be to find the perfect light, the perfect set up, and the perfect angle. The more photos you take, the easier it will be to focus on the elements important to a good photo - composition & light. This post from 2012 shares different angles to play with using your smart phone...but since that post, the quality of our camera phones has gotten exponentially better. Now your phone has an auto focus so playing with depth of field and exposure is easier to do from the native camera apps however the iPhone app Warmlight allows you to manipulate focus and exposure over different points of the photo. So you can focus on one point but adjust the exposure based on a second point. You can't do that in the iPhone's native camera app! This will help you adjust for the perfect light!
Use Natural Edits
I've talked to death my favorite apps for subtle edits, but I'll share them with you again - Afterlight, Snapseed, and A Color Story (read all about them here). All of these apps add subtle effects such as brightness, color correcting, and sharpness with filters and adjustments. Both Afterlight and A Color Story allow you to save custom filters or custom edits for use later on similar photos. I love to use these two after adjusting specific areas for brightness in Snapseed. Additionally, the subtle effects can really offset any weird coloring on your image. For example, in the A Color Story app you can adjust the temperature easily with a slider under the adjust tab but there are also subtle filters that will correct color temperature. When ever I take a photo that may appear too yellow, I use the Essentials filter On Lock to brighten, whiten, and correct the temperature of the photo. (The only filters you really need from this app are in the Essentials collection, and I believe all of those are free!)
But Don't Be Afraid to Add Something Fun
Forget the overprocessed filters and light leaks and try to add something subtle. In the A Color Story & Snapseed apps there are subtle filters to add grunge, light leaks, and color concentration. This is adds a cool summery effect but us it in moderation! Again, the A Color Story app is the best for subtle edits and overlaying a tiny light leak in the perfect spot creates a fun, natural effect. These things did happen (light leaks, that is) but in order to add a bit of whimsy to your photos, be sure to add them in a place that makes sense for the composition of the photo. It shouldn't distract from the subject or be so intense that it takes away from the focus of the image. Just add a touch of flare.
I hope these tips have helped you think more about your Instagram feed and overall photography in general. You can take these tips and create a carefully curated camera roll just for yourself. You don't even have to apply this to Instagram! If you'd like to read more iPhoneography tips, click here. And if you'd like to see my filming set up (spoilers, I film on my iPhone too!) check it out here.
What do you share on your feed? Any more tips?
xoxo, Moe
Use Natural Edits
I've talked to death my favorite apps for subtle edits, but I'll share them with you again - Afterlight, Snapseed, and A Color Story (read all about them here). All of these apps add subtle effects such as brightness, color correcting, and sharpness with filters and adjustments. Both Afterlight and A Color Story allow you to save custom filters or custom edits for use later on similar photos. I love to use these two after adjusting specific areas for brightness in Snapseed. Additionally, the subtle effects can really offset any weird coloring on your image. For example, in the A Color Story app you can adjust the temperature easily with a slider under the adjust tab but there are also subtle filters that will correct color temperature. When ever I take a photo that may appear too yellow, I use the Essentials filter On Lock to brighten, whiten, and correct the temperature of the photo. (The only filters you really need from this app are in the Essentials collection, and I believe all of those are free!)
But Don't Be Afraid to Add Something Fun
Forget the overprocessed filters and light leaks and try to add something subtle. In the A Color Story & Snapseed apps there are subtle filters to add grunge, light leaks, and color concentration. This is adds a cool summery effect but us it in moderation! Again, the A Color Story app is the best for subtle edits and overlaying a tiny light leak in the perfect spot creates a fun, natural effect. These things did happen (light leaks, that is) but in order to add a bit of whimsy to your photos, be sure to add them in a place that makes sense for the composition of the photo. It shouldn't distract from the subject or be so intense that it takes away from the focus of the image. Just add a touch of flare.
I hope these tips have helped you think more about your Instagram feed and overall photography in general. You can take these tips and create a carefully curated camera roll just for yourself. You don't even have to apply this to Instagram! If you'd like to read more iPhoneography tips, click here. And if you'd like to see my filming set up (spoilers, I film on my iPhone too!) check it out here.
What do you share on your feed? Any more tips?
xoxo, Moe
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